Local 911 centers need millions of dollars for improvements that could help save lives. Action News Investigates has learned big phone companies are accused of keeping 911 from getting the money needed for those upgrades.

“Many times they don't know or they're unable to speak,” said Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Matt Brown.

If the caller uses a cell phone, the 911 center may not be able to find them -- which is one big reason the 911 centers need millions of dollars for new technologies.

The centers are funded by the monthly 911 fees that show up on our phone bills. But multiple lawsuits filed in Pennsylvania accuse phone companies of failing to collect and turn over millions of dollars from those fees.

Court records allege Allegheny County is losing $9 million per year in unpaid 911 fees. The county says it is spending $4 million a year in taxpayer money to help make up the difference.

Court documents allege the amount of lost 911 fees is as much as $1.7 million in Beaver County; $1.8 million in Butler County; $3.3 million in Westmoreland County and $3.5 million in Washington County.

The lawsuits were sparked by Alabama businessman Roger Schneider who found records showing phone companies were not paying enough 911 fees in that state. He found the same problem in Pennsylvania.

“They still persist in under-billing 911 fees to their larger corporate clients -- not small business, and certainly not residential people, but just the big clients that represent a lot of profit,” said Schneider, CEO of Phone Recovery Services.

He said it's not just about the money.

“That affects the number of call takers you can have on staff. It affects the kind of training the call takers can have. It affects how advanced your technology is. It's literally life or death,” he said.

Randy Ankney, of Derry Township, knows that firsthand. As Action News Investigates first reported, his mother died while a 911 operator was trying to find her.

That's because he called 911 using a cellphone, and 911 centers cannot afford the technology needed to identify cellphone locations.

Ankey was outraged to learn the phone companies may not be charging their biggest customers the full amount of 911 fees.

“What's the difference between me, you or anybody else? If we're all paying $1.25 that's what it should be, and the money should go to 911,” Ankney said.

Following a court hearing in Butler, Action News Investigates tried to ask lawyers for the phone companies about the allegedly missing 911 money.

But none of the lawyers would comment.

Action News Investigates later got a statement from Verizon, which is accused of withholding the largest amount of 911 fees in Western Pennsylvania.

Company spokesman John O’Malley declined to discuss the lawsuits but added: "It's important to note that 911 charges are taxes that we're required by law to collect from our customers and pass along to state and county 911 authorities. We're collecting those taxes in compliance with the law."

State Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, is on a committee overseeing 911 money and is disturbed by the lawsuit allegations.

“My gut reaction is that's frustrating,” Costa said. “There's no question the money is desperately needed to keep up with technology.”

Under a new law the state has more authority over 911 fees, and Costa said the state will be checking closely to make sure phone companies are turning over what they're supposed to.